What participants bill as “good trouble” came to Honolulu Thursday as part of nationwide rallies in protest of the Donald Trump administration.
Protesters gathered across the U.S. to commemorate the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis on Thursday, the fifth anniversary of his death, and his motto of making “good trouble” in the face of oppression of civil and human rights.
In Honolulu, people assembled in kind, with some 200 people gathered at the Patsy T. Mink memorial to hear speeches and wave signs decrying the actions of the Trump administration over the last seven months.
“They want to strip away our benefits, services, multilingualism, diversity … everything that makes us strong,” said Liza Ryan Gill of the Hawai‘i Coalition for Immigrant Rights, pointing to a July 14 memorandum by the U.S. Attorney General advising all federal agencies to “minimize non-essential multilingual services” in service of a May executive order declaring English as the official language of the U.S.
Several speakers issued dire warnings about the next four years, pediatrician Maya Maxym warned that the funding cuts in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will put rural hospitals at risk of closure. Retired lieutenant colonel Will Tungol said the bill will slash 20% of the workforce of the Department of Veterans Affairs, while attorney Jeff Portnoy warned about the administration’s chilling effect on free speech and freedom of the press.
“I know some people say ‘that will never happen here,’” Portnoy said, reflecting on a recent visit to Third Reich book-burning sites in Germany. “But they didn’t think it would happen there, either.”
Anger against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement loomed over the proceedings, with attendees booing nearly every mention of the agency. Gill warned the state must face “tough questions” soon, when the federal government will threaten to withhold funding from the state unless local police departments take part in immigration raids.
“We need to build power for when those questions come,” Gill said, urging solidarity
Amid the warnings were notes of advice and encouragement. Maxym advised attendees to update their vaccines and get necessary health screenings now while they’re still available and affordable, while Eric Gill, president of hospitality and healthcare union UNITE! Local 5, exhorted people that, if they want to help vulnerable people around them, “get ‘em to a union!”
Kiosks at the rally encouraged attendees to register to vote or volunteer, while passing drivers provided a steady stream of honks in apparent support of the sign-wavers.
Several speakers urged attendees to speak with their elected officials, and some made appearances at the rally: organizers specifically named senators Karl Rhoads and Jarrett Keohokalole and representatives Della Au Bellati and Kim Coco Iwamoto as having been in attendance.
But one speaker went further. Camron Hurt, program manager of Common Cause Hawai‘i, ended a fiery speech by apparently breaking from his prepared remarks to directly address lawmakers.
“To the governor [Josh Green]: there’s more you could be doing to help with immigration,” Hurt said. “To [Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda]: terminate all county [agreements] with ICE. To the legislature: call the special session.
“The time for politeness is over,” Hurt said to cheers.
